John Ratcliffe (right), Hall’s runoff opponent, visits with guests at a Far North Dallas Tea Party candidate event. Ratcliffe touts his record as mayor of Heath, noting the city did not raise taxes during his eight-year tenure.

Tom Fox - Staff Photographer

WASHINGTON — It’s tempting to fit the May 27 runoff election between Rep. Ralph Hall and John Ratcliffe into the incumbent vs. tea party dynamic sweeping Republican primaries across the country.

But when it comes to the tea party’s role in the race for Hall’s district northeast of Dallas, the relationship is more complicated. Leading figures and groups within the movement are taking different sides.

Though they have few differences on issues, both Hall and Ratcliffe say they represent true grass-roots conservatives.

Ratcliffe touts his record as mayor of Heath, noting the city did not raise taxes during his eight-year tenure. And he has staunch conservative takes on issues such as immigration. Hall cites his record in Congress, where he’s received high ratings from conservative groups for upholding many of the same positions.

Without heated policy debates, Hall’s tenure has become the key issue. The 91-year-old is vying for his 18th term. He’s just the kind of established incumbent that tea party challengers usually target, and several have lined up to support his opponent.

“Ralph Hall is a great congressman who has served his country well, but it’s time for a change, time for some fresh blood to go to Washington, D.C., and try to shake things up,” said Taylor Budowich, a spokesman for Tea Party Express. The group is backing Ratcliffe as “someone who has the passion to really get out on the forefront and lead with conservative ideas.”

Ratcliffe, 48, also has gained endorsements from influential tea party groups such as Club for Growth, which touts Ratcliffe’s promise to serve no more than eight years in the House, and the Madison Project. He said those and some in the district, such as the North Texas Tea Party, which also has endorsed him, represent the real grass-roots conservative movement.

“I don’t really like labels, but very clearly, my support in this race is coming from grass-roots groups, including the tea party,” Ratcliffe said. “A win for my campaign is a win for conservative grass-roots groups and voters.”

For some of Ratcliffe’s supporters, the difference comes down to Hall’s long tenure in Washington.

But Hall also has big-name supporters in conservative circles.

Historian and activist David Barton, whose name was on many tea partiers’ lips as a possible challenger to Sen. John Cornyn, has endorsed the incumbent, calling him “a rock” when it comes to standing up for conservative principles.

“I value Congressman Hall because he is wise enough to look to the founding of the country and to the decades and centuries that have passed for guidance and inspiration,” Barton said in a written statement endorsing Hall. Barton called Hall “an ardent and effective advocate for limited government.”

A slew of former GOP presidential hopefuls also have endorsed Hall. Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., gave him the nod last month. Bachmann has been an active force in the tea party movement, founding the Tea Party Caucus in Congress. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee also recently endorsed Hall.

Former Texas congressman Ron Paul, who has been called “the godfather of the tea party movement,” also backs Hall, citing the incumbent’s long history of fighting for small-government principles.

Ratcliffe said those endorsements just show how entrenched Hall is, and noted that few grass-roots groups have backed the congressman.

“He’s getting support from individuals,” he said of the endorsements like Bachmann and Paul. “But members of Congress clearly stick together. That’s one of the problems we have to get away from.”

Ratcliffe says it’s not just about how long Hall’s been in office, but also about the choices he’s made. He’s criticized Hall on his voting record over his long tenure, including his votes to raise the federal debt limit, something of a tea party litmus test. Overall, Hall voted to raise the limit seven times between 1985 and 2005.

Hall’s campaign said those votes were wrapped up in other legislation with overwhelming conservative support, such as the 1997 Balanced Budget Act.

“Ralph has said many times that the tea party is a megaphone for the problems in Washington,” said Hall’s campaign consultant, Ed Valentine. “Congressman Hall voted against President Bush’s bailout. He’s voted against Barack Obama’s bailout. He’s stood up to the Washington, D.C., leadership.”

Hall’s campaign says Ratcliffe has his own connections to Washington. Ratcliffe worked as a U.S. attorney under President George W. Bush and now works with a law firm run by former Attorney General John Ashcroft.

Hall’s campaign has seized on Ratcliffe’s connections to Ashcroft, saying the firm has deep connections to Washington lobbyists. Ratcliffe, who is not a registered lobbyist, denies that his work with the Ashcroft Group has anything to do with lobbying.